3 Year Old Home Activites

I while ago I read a great book called Mommy, Teach Me by Barbara Curtis that was just full of ideas. It is Montessori-based and shows you how to make many of the Montessori materials for home use out of simple items that you probably already have. It also explains what each "game" teaches your child. My daughter's favorite is beading. She threads beads on floral pins and then sticks them into a pincushion. I never would have thought to let her do that--pins are sharp and beads are tiny!! But I am always amazed at her focus and concentration for this activity. Best of all it teaches prereading skills (left-to-right movement), premath (patterns), plus fine motor skills and patience, concentration, and focus!! The website is http://www.mommyteachme.net/ and I just borrowed the book from my local library. Have fun!

Here is good site for activities and teaching your 3 yr old how to read.

http://www.starfall.com/

We play memory a lot. We play with the cards face up and he can fly through it. I made a set of my own cards on cardstock to see if he would understand the concept... HE LOVES IT.

I got a TON of great information of of the following website:
http://abcteach.com/
It's free and you can look under the preschool setting for age-appropriate learning activities.

- C.

You ARE working. Raising a child is a very important job. Check into Montessori theory, take walks and discover nature, get out the building blocks and make cities, crayons and paper, create a note to dad or grandma/pa, a three year old can help fold laundry, organize toys, sit and read books to him/her, watch Sesame Street and dress up as Superman...Just let creativity flow and enjoy every moment.

I just published this yesterday, and perhaps it'll help you come up with things to do with him: http://hubpages.com/hub/diy-toys-cheap-baby-toddler-toys-...

Movement, movement, movement!! Get him moving. Jumping, crawling, swinging, sliding, rolling, crashing, upside down, climbing, running, walking. You can do this around your neighborhood or park. Early motor movement creates a brain that is ready to learn higher order material. DO NOT teach him letters, numbers and reading. Read TO him. Children today are deprived of movement and their left brains are so much higher then their right hemispheres causing learning and attential problems in school. Make them use their big core muscles by having them do sit ups, crab walks, and bridges. Take the cushions off the couch and crawl all over them. Thsi is a great heavy input workout. Explore shaving cream, sand, dry rice, dry or wet oatmeal, painting, coloring, cutting, gluing, making books of his favorite pictures in magazines. There are so many things to do with little or no money and can be done at home or outside.